Randall Turner is the producer, the one known as "R-Tist" when the Green Seed is on stage. He took a few minutes from his grueling recording schedule to join me for a conversation about the Green Seed, a hip-hop collaborative featuring him, Complete and DJ Effect, that is emerging as the face of Magic City hip-hop. The act will journey to Austin next week as part of the Birmingham showcase taking place during South by Southwest. The group will stand alone in its genre. Turner and I talked about his upcoming pilgrimage and The Green Seed's place in Birmingham's emerging local music scene.

Blake Ells for Birmingham Box Set: How long have you been performing as The Green Seed?

Randall Turner: We convened as The Green Seed in 2006. We were trying to start another collaboration of artists called Rapskillians. We really didn't agree on a lot of things. Some guys in the group had visions of fame and fortune, while others never wanted to speak up. So Complete and I decided to get together and start a new group. DJ Effect had already been working with me, so he joined as well.

BBS: What part of the area do you call home?

RT: I was born and raised in Pell City. You always dream you'll go off to college and never come back, but I moved back here when I finished school. If I lived in town, I'd never get anything done. I'm the producer; I need to get away from the hustle and bustle. Complete is originally from Rock Island, Ill. He moved down here for school.

BBS: Who influenced you?

RT: The staples--De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother--all of that underground hip-hop. We try to be a little more artful like the people that influence us--you can have something that is artistic and pleasing to the ear.

BBS: Honestly, that was the first vibe I got from the record: a heavy Tribe Called Quest feel. But your flow and style reminds me a lot of Big Boi as well.

RT: I try to keep my cadences a bit faster. People don't like to be compared to other artists. But all of the people you mention are people that put a lot of work into their music. They put a lot of work into their art. They put a lot of emphasis on connecting to their audience. And that's all very important to us as well. So if we're going to draw comparisons, those are flattering.

BBS: Is this your first trip to Austin?

RT: This is our first trip as artists and as spectators. We hope to see a lot of people having a lot of fun. We just want to get our music heard. Hopefully, if someone from the film side of it hears something they like, maybe they'll use one of our songs in a film or something. It's just all about connecting with people.

BBS: Is hip-hop big at the festival?

RT: Actually, Stone's Throw which is another hip-hop collaborative has a showcase. They did a show with MF Doom, Mad Libs. It was packed. G-Side (Huntsville hip-hop artists recently featured in the Oxford American's annual Southern Music issue) will be out there as well.

BBS: Speaking of G-Side, what is your relationship like with those guys? Do you have any plans to work with them to promote the Alabama hip-hop scene?

RT: We're playing with G-Side Friday at Zydeco. Hopefully, we're gonna start working on some shows. We work closely with everybody. We want to try to give new artists a chance to be heard. We're always trying to stay connected to the local scene at large.

BBS: Is there a divide between the local hip-hop scene and the local rock scene?

RT: There is no divide, especially when you are talking about The Green Seed. I got my start at places like Cave 9 and college shows at Birmingham-Southern. I mixed it up. There's no divide between rock and country and whatever else. Music is the universal language and if we're all speaking the same language, nothing should come between us.

We've actually begun a quarterly showcase at BottleTree called "Vulcanites." The show features local artists and poets. The next show is coming up on April 9, and we already have The Great American Breakdown, Shaheed and Awkward Silence signed on to perform. It's going to be a great night.

BBS: You mentioned the upcoming performance with G-Side opening for Das Racist at Zydeco this Friday. Das Racist has begun to blow up. How eager are you to share the stage with those guys?

RT: They are blowing up. It's very important for us to represent Birmingham. When they go off and make it big, they need to remember real hip-hop is happening in Birmingham. The buzz has been around this town for years. There are a lot of artists that just need to be heard. We'll also share the stage at Zydeco with (former Wu-Tang Clan member)Raekwon in May.

BBS: When can we expect to hear the record you are currently recording?

RT: It's mostly finished vocally. But it will be a while before we release it, since the last one just came out three months ago. We like to have a whole new record of material ready to go before we release a new one so that we can stay on this two year pace. All of our records are available for purchase at Charlemagne Records.